Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Issue 36
Demo Derby
Game Mess Mornings 04/22/24
GrubbSnax
8-4 Play 4/19/2024: LEAVE IT TO BEAVERS
8-4 Play
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.20
The Community Spotlight 2024.04.13
Community Endurance Run XIV - April 12-14
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Sure, these days have almost every game sporting the newfangled 3D, but way back when, everyone had to live with plain old 2D. 2D, or two dimensions, limit the game to scrolling backgrounds, but some games even now make use of this basic concept.
Running at 60 FPS is standard for arcade & PC games, but hardware restrictions of consoles often force developers to aim for lower framerates in order to preserve visual detail or allow greater scale. 3D console games hitting 60 FPS are thus uncommon, though the trend of re-releasing games on newer hardware has technically resulted in more 3D console games hitting 60 FPS.
Achievements are extra challenges added into video games that sometimes carry a point value or unlock bonus material, and are sometimes solely for bragging rights.
Characters either begin with multiple outfits, unlock them through play, or purchase them as in-game items. These costumes are sometimes integral to play.
Anthropomorphism is the concept of an object, concept or character that has human qualities or traits, such as speech, a level of intelligence similar or higher than a human's and self consciousness. "Anthro" means "of human" and related to the concept of humanity.
An applause is the act of a crowd or group of people clapping their hands, usually in response to something awesome that happened.
Apple's Game Center service brings matchmaking, achievements, and friend lists to games that choose to support it.
Some games offer alternate modes or specific sections of the storyline that involve arena combat, gladiator style.
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, commonly refers to the programmed behaviors of NPCs in a game, whether it's the fact that a soldier takes cover behind a wall in Gears of War, or that townspeople cheer upon your arrival to their village in Fable.
Some games don't feature a traditional co-op mode that makes the players equal partners, but allows a second player to participate in the game to assist player one albeit with significantly different gameplay mechanics.
Different gameplay mechanics for different players. Sometimes uses different input devices.
Levels that progress forward by themselves at a fixed rate.
Backtracking is the act of navigating through previously explored areas, usually for the purpose of progressing in an objective-based adventure game. Players who are lost may also backtrack to reorient themselves.
Games that support the Wii Balance Board.
Bats are small, very social flying mammals. They may frequent caves or haunted houses.
A proprietary video codec (.bik/bk2 extension) developed by RAD Game Tools and used in a very large number of video games.
Winged, usually flying creatures, many of which enjoy perching on branches and defecating on unfortunate victims below.
Bonus levels, rounds, or stages give players a chance to gain extra points, powerups, or lives. Occasionally bonus stages will play completely different than the rest of the game, like as a slot machine or pinball minigame.
Bosses are enemies that fight you at the end of a level or at a significant point in the story.
A boss fight is a culminating challenge that pits the player against one or more enemies representing a greater threat and/or difficulty than those previously faced. These scenarios typically feature unique antagonists.
This shows you how long you have until you start wishing you had gills. When your breath runs out, you may take damage, or you may expire right there, depending on how sadistic the game designers were!
Button Mashing is a term used to describe gameplay where certain skills can be only realized explicitly through mashing buttons, a reckless player trying to get results or when the game rewards the player(s) who bash buttons the fastest. The latter example is common in Party Games.
Some game characters just cannot swim. This usually means automatic death as soon as they hit the water.
Episodic games that were left incomplete due to the project being halted or cancelled before the final episode could be released.
Potentially deadly in the real world, annoying and funny in the animated world.
Charging is the action of pressing & holding down a button or particular direction on the controller. Its purpose is to build up a powerful blast or burst of energy to take out an opponent or cause critical damage.
A point within the game whereby the game saves its current state whether it be for the purpose of a more convenient respawn point or a gameplay design (such as in racing).
Cider a Windows compatibility layer optimized for gaming which is a proprietary extension of WINE that enables PC games to run on Intel powered Macs with little or no modification.
Climbing is a common tradition in games, particularly platformers. There is often a particular type of surface that can be climbed, and it has a recognizably different look than other surfaces in the game. Climbing ladders or stairs doesn't count.
Collectibles are items such as coins, rings, gems, packages etc. that can be gathered, usually for some kind of reward, or sometimes to simply beat a level. Often (almost too often) the source of earning achievements and trophies on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
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